When choosing to get your family photos done you should keep a few things in mind. For starters, besides traditional portraits, there are a few other types and styles of photography out there you should know about. The main ones are lifestyle, documentary, natural light, studio, and on-location. You should also consider the
individual photographer's style. So what do all of these mean?
Traditional portraiture is just like what it implies. You as
the subject are put in front of the camera, you sit, stand, or lean and the photographer
instructs you how to pose. "Tilt your head this way", "lean
forward", "look directly at the camera", "give me a laugh",
etc. Though, this can vary for children because it might not be age appropriate
to give such instructions. Can you see your 1 year old giving the photographer
a blank stare? ;) So for children a lot of times there will be props used to achieve
the traditional portrait.
Then there's lifestyle photography which is capturing your
life as it's happening. Though it is often confused with documentary, lifestyle
is different in that the goal is to show the individuals camaraderie, love and connection
and to convey emotion to the viewer. The person who sees a lifestyle portrait
will know right away what the people in the photo are feeling. There will be a
lot more candid portraits taken during this type of session and the location
will most likely be your home or a place that would be common for your family
to frequent.
Back to documentary photography. This type of photography
has little interaction between the client (you) and the photographer. A great
example is birth photography. You're not going to have a photographer ask you
to sit forward and tilt your head just a bit between contractions. If you ever
hire a birth photographer and they do that please kick them out of your room
ASAP! Can you imagine!? The job of the photographer is to chronicle the event
not run it. Other times you would see this style is during "getting ready"
shots before your wedding or at the reception. Another example would be if you
had a photographer at your work place capturing your life at work. They might
also describe themselves as "a fly on the wall".
Natural light photographers do not usually use other means
of light (flash or studio lights). They will probably be carrying a reflector to
give your face a little extra light. This doesn't mean they don't know how to
use flash or lights, it just means they prefer not to. This is most likely
because of the look they are trying to achieve with their art.
Studio vs. on-location. Do you like backdrops or a more
natural outdoor look? Do you like props or is a blanket enough? This would also
probably depend on the type of session. For a newborn session you would probably
want indoor, whether in a studio or in
your home. For maternity portraits a mixture of indoor and on location might be
what you are looking for.
Now, there are photographers who have a mix of styles. I am
one of those photographers. My style tends to be more lifestyle with a bit of
traditional portraiture, especially when dealing with large family or groups. Documentary
photography is definitely one of my favorites (birth photographer here!) because it allows me to tell a story about your family or from that day. In
regards to lighting techniques I tend to be a more natural light photographer,
especially with birth and newborns. However, I also love how flash can give
that dramatic look or mimic natural light. So I'm not afraid to use flash to achieve the look I'm
going for.
You will be the most delighted with your portraits if you
pick a photographer that will capture your family the best based off of their
style, not their price. Which is why you should view their work or portfolio
and decide if what you're seeing is what you want for your family portrait
sessions.
I would love to be your photographer and document your family, so send me an email simplysweetmomentsphoto@yahoo.com or give me a call 562-400-2579 so we can start planning your personalized session today!
Blessings,
Alaina
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